Youth
by Keket-Chan
Summary: 100 Themes Challenge; 2. 'Youth'. Inuyasha's childhood is no feudal fairy tale.


"Be strong, my boy…" Her weak smile waned away, as did the grasp she had upon my hand. She was gone. My mother, the only person in the world that cared for me, passed away before my eyes. She fought long and hard against her illness, but in the end…

I refused to believe it. "Mother?" I choked out a whisper.

No response.

"C'mon Mama, get up."

Once again, nothing. I bit my lip and let the tears stream down my face. The tiny candle on the wall was snuffed out in the sudden breeze, leaving me in the darkness with Mother's body. I wiggled myself under her arm, clinging on to the last, fleeting warmth her body had to offer me.

That night was the only night I cried myself to sleep.

* * *

The sun barely broke into the sky when a familiar bug bite pierced the skin of my cheek. I slapped myself there and caught the culprit in my palm. "Now isn't a good time, flea," I said in a hushed, annoyed tone.

Myouga got himself back up and brushed off his tiny robes. "I figured it wouldn't be," was his answer. That wasn't good enough for me; I readied my fingers to flick him, but he held his four arms in front of himself defensively. "I knew you were hurt, so I came as fast as I could, Inuyasha-sama!"

"Hmph, it only took you an entire night," I scoffed. "But there's nothing you can do, Myouga…" I lowered my head and sniffed back more tears.

"My deepest condolences, master. Perhaps we should give her a proper burial?"

I brushed away the tears with my sleeve and nodded. She raised me on her own for such a long time. The least I could do for her was lay her peacefully to rest.

I stepped out of our riverside castle, the sun casting a blinding light into my eyes. I blinked it off and then my heart sank. Nobles were coming out of their homes, expressions of shock and annoyance painted their faces.

"Izayoi's passed?"

"As of last night."

"I'll bet any money it was that half-breed 'son' of hers." That same man called out to me, seeing me frozen at the doorstep. "You, boy! What did you do to her?"

"N-nothing," I croaked. "She was sick."

"Ha, figures. You give her some disease, boy?"

"No!" I yelled.

But the ignorant jackass didn't seem to hear my rebuttal. He and a few other men chased me down the courtyard, brandishing their swords and hunting knives. "Get the hanyou!" one bellowed.

My feet pounded to the grass hard and fast. At that age, my demon speed hadn't come around to aid me, so I was stuck hauling at a human's pace. Myouga gripped onto a tuft of my hair, hanging on for dear life and screaming.

It wasn't fair. I wanted to bury her, for gods' sakes. I can't even do that without being accused if I afflicted her with the ailment that took her from this cruel world, from me. How dare they. How dare those narrow-minded bastards! If only I wasn't a child, I'd show them real fear. What happens when you cross a hanyou in mourning. All I could do was weave through the forest, steadily losing those so-called nobles from my trail.

I turned sharply into a cave with the entrance shaded by low-hanging branches. I kept my racing breath low and pinned my back against the wall. I'd never run that fast ever. Myouga wrestled himself out of my bangs and looked over my shoulder. "They're gone, master," he murmured.

With a sigh of relief, I slid down the rocky wall and resumed catching my breath normally. The moment was short-lived.

My nose caught the scent of canine fur. At that moment, my blood ran cold as my white ears picked up the sound of low growling. The realization hit me like a ton of bricks. I was regaining myself in a wolves' den. To make things worse, they were demon wolves.

I turned my head slowly and was nearly nose-to-nose with a snarling male, his comrade beside him. "Run, master!" Myouga panicked, tugging my hair desperately.

I didn't need him to tell me twice. I hit the ground hard once again, the rabid hounds hot on my trail. Unlike last time, the forest was against me. Trees kept coming into my path, roots tripped me constantly, and the leaves blocked the sun from the sky, blackening my escape route. I collided into a tree finally, the last one before the land gave out to a high cliff. The wolves snapped their jaws as they closed in on me. Left with no other option, I climbed the trunk quickly, settling myself onto a branch of decent height away from the hungry wolves. The leader of the two attempted to climb after me, but after the third try, he gave up. He and his friend left the cliff in defeat.

My breathing eased up after about ten minutes of resting, but I was far from ready to leave the safety of the tree. Only when I felt my stomach began to eat itself did I jump down in search of food. That was at sundown, and after a small meal of fish, I curled up under the canopy of leaves, sleeping the remainder of the hellish day away.

The next morning dawned the harsh reality before me. I was really alone.

* * *

**A/N: Aha, Keket's finally done an Inuyasha ficcy! After like...3 years lol. **

**YES, I'm aware of the slight Lion King reference in the beginning. But honestly, wouldn't you do the same thing if your mother passed away too? No crit on it, please. Kthxbai**


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